2015 XB

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2015 XB

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 14,689,816 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 XB is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 XB as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2015 XB orbits the sun every 610 days (1.67 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 1.83 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 XB is probably between 0.040 to 0.090 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2015 XB's orbit is 0.04 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2015 XB has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 9, 2020 14,689,816 12.561
Dec. 14, 2025 26,727,138 12.559
Nov. 28, 2107 24,967,975 15.296
Dec. 2, 2112 12,980,732 14.001
Dec. 5, 2117 5,934,159 13.252
Dec. 7, 2122 6,797,492 12.883
Dec. 11, 2127 14,741,513 12.535
Dec. 14, 2132 26,390,424 12.508

Images and Observations

2015 XB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 1, 2015. It was last officially observed on Dec. 6, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 163 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2015 XB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.408 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3
  • Inclination: 22.27°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 251.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 212.99°
  • Mean Anomaly: 217.58°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.052 km
  • Magnitude: 24.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 610 days (1.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.83 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2015 XB is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2015 XB to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.